Authority seizes Geelong’s heart

A State Government committee that was branded as an “abject failure” at delivering major projects for Geelong is now responsible for helping revitalise the city’s heart.
Geelong’s council administrators this week “agreed to work in partnership” with the Government’s Geelong Authority on projects to spruce up the city.
The authority will take over from the Central Geelong Task Force, which included former mayor Darryn Lyons and deputy Michelle Heagney who were both sacked by the Andrews Government along with the rest of Geelong’s council in April.
The task force was “now no longer needed”, said administrators chair Kathy Alexander.
She and fellow administrators Laurinda Gardner and Peter Dorling, formerly the authority’s chair until his council appointment, supported disbanding the task force at a meeting this week.
Some former task force volunteers were now members of the authority, Dr Alexander said.
She “looked forward” to working with them on a new Revitalising Central Geelong partnership with the authority.
“Since its first meeting in July 2014 the task force has overseen a number of important improvements and enterprises in central Geelong,” Dr Alexander said.
“These included the Malop Street Green Spine concept development and initial designs, the Little Malop streetscape, pedestrian bridge design and laneways concept development, the delivery of the Malop Street lab and community engagement for the CBD 40km/h speed zone.
“The new Revitalising Central Geelong action plan builds on these key initiatives and will guide the future work to be undertaken through the State Government and council partnership.
“It’s now time to implement all of these great initiatives.”
Premier Daniel Andrews unveiled the Geelong Authority in August 2015 as an advisory committee to “break the deadlock” on major projects in Geelong.
The authority would advise Planning Minister Richard Wynne to deliver “real action” for Geelong, Mr Andrews said.
But 10 months later local Liberal MPs began criticising the authority for failing to deliver any projects despite $3.5 million in funding.
South Barwon MP Andrew Katos called the committee a “token board” established to “deceive Geelong residents into thinking the government’s taking action”.
Corangamite MP Sarah Henderson said the “powerless” authority should be disbanded if it was incapable of “doing the job”.
Soon after the State Government gave the authority part credit for approving an $80 million Brougham Street building, naming the committee among several governmental bodies that “supported” the project.